Hajime…. Howdy, ffolkes. While creating today’s offering, I came to a realization about why I haven’t been able to find the angst necessary to produce a good rant. The realization came as I looked for a pearl to place at the beginning, to indicate the direction the piece would follow; there were so many issues, and so many pearls, I couldn’t make up my mind. It isn’t the angst after all; there’s plenty of that, as a direct result of having plenty of cause. So, I gave up, as is my wont of late, and decided to wait until one of the issues assumed a cloak of dire need, then give it a shot….. Otherwise, I’d be writing forever, without any resolution, for there aren’t many good answers to be found.
Now that I’ve provided myself with a plenitude of future excuses to be lazy, I’ll tell you today’s Pear is a good one, if rant-free. Fine music, perhaps my best poem, and a damn fine old-school lesson, sort of. I’m happy with it, & that’s all that matters ultimately. Y’all will, as always, need to decide for yourselves whether your time has been wasted, or augmented. Sharing your decision is, of course, optional. When I see such comments, I tend to feel a small portion of guilt, right before ignoring them altogether, so, it’s not my favorite thing to occur; I gave up guilt long ago. But, I’m fair-minded, mostly, so, have at it, if you wish…. No worries; I don’t own a gun.
Okay, that’s about enough of that for one day. It’s all getting that red color that happens right before Reality begins to swirl and fade away, so, perhaps it would be best to get on with the rest of this mess. It’s not as if we are concerned with our sales figures, but, I hate casualties, and so does the insurance guy. So, we’ll get the slow on the toad, and be done with it for another diurnal period. Besides, it makes it harder to catch me this way…. See ya down the page….
Shall we pearl?….
“Entropy requires no maintenance.”
~~ Amanda Walker ~~
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Stevie Ray Vaughan, in his short time with us, left a large mark on the musical scene. He was already considered a master when he passed, and, fortunately, left a substantial body of recorded work to enjoy. This concert, though not the greatest picture, has good, clear sound, essential for full appreciation of his genius. Enjoy, ffolkes, it doesn’t get any better……
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Stevie Ray Vaughan Live in Tokyo ~ 1985
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Unheralded Sagacity…
To many, who will not see beyond their nose,
the world becomes a dangerous place;
a bullet in every gun, a thorn with every rose.
No magic comes to save us, reality leaves no trace.
Minds closed, wrapped tight in manufactured fears,
men become clay, easily molded into complacent form.
No chains needed, held in thrall for years;
lies become gospel, when dishonesty is the norm.
Shed the chains you wear in durance, in kind;
oh, ye of little faith, and much doubt.
Strength is found in an unfettered mind;
cry “freedom” with a great shout.
No help from any gods can hinder so much
as our own lack of confidence;
finding the light within, knowing it as such
confirms us, becoming consequence.
Illumination…..
~~ gigoid ~~
4/17/2013
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Naked Pearls
Potpourri
*********
“I have been a stranger in a strange land.”
~~ Old Testament, Exodus ii, 22 ~~
*********
“What we wish, that we readily believe.”
~~ Demosthenes ~~
*********
“You grow up the day you have your first real laugh — at yourself.”
~~ Ethel Barrymoore ~~
*********
“Anyone without a sense of humor is at the mercy of everyone else.”
~~ William Rotsler ~~
*********
“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.”
~~ T. S. Eliot ~~
*********
“He who has a WHY to live for can bear with almost any HOW.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
*********
“Self-trust is the essence of heroism…
It speaks the truth, and it is just, generous, hospitable, temperate,
scornful of petty calculations, and scornful of being scorned.
It persists; it is of an undaunted boldness,
and of a fortitude not to be wearied out.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Essays” ~~
*********
“He who laughs, lasts.”
~~ Mary Pettibone Poole ~~
*********
“Deserve your dream.”
~~ Octavio Paz ~~
*********
********************************
There you have it; short, but sweet. I’m going to go now, before it all loses focus, and turns on us, which can happen here at the end, if we aren’t mindful. Of course, that particular state remains fitfully inconsistent, but, we’re working on it. See y’all tomorrow, if I, once again, can find no good reason to NOT do so….. Trust me, I won’t…. and, I WILL be here, one way, or another…. Hope for the one, the other is bloody dangerous…. for everyone….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Let ignorance talk as it will, learning has its value.”
~~ J. de La Fontaine (1621-1695) ~~
~~ The Use of Knowledge, Book viii, Fable 19 ~~
I swear it went inside here….
Hajime…. Thanks to goodness knows what, I’m running late. This is both good, and bad, like most things human. We do tend to try to strip it down to bare bones when possible; today’s post will, no doubt, require us to do so rather ruthlessly, if we hope to find our way to any sort of conclusive resolution. Of course, that also implies we actually know what we’re looking for, or where we’re going, neither of which approaches the truth of Reality in any portion. Go figure that one, eh?
There. That should make it clear you’ll get nothing rational out of me today. That happens to me consistently, I’m afraid, though you wouldn’t know it to watch me perform my antics. I’ve now had an officially long time to practice making it look normal, and, much as the effort costs, it seems worth it to keep those around me from worrying, or, for that matter, from bursting into flames when I look at them. Always a bonus out in public to avoid being noticed for such happenings. I can assure you, I don’t miss the drama….
Okay, that’s all you get today. I’m clean out of fresh ideas, at least for now, so, I’ll bite the bullet, and get this done, so I can say I did without lying about it. I do hate to have to lie, about anything; for us humans the facility comes too easily. I prefer to try to meet Reality on its own terms, which won’t work if we don’t use the rules. Another go figure, but, hey, we’re used to that. I’m going to stop tormenting all of us now, and use this very ruthless technique to get us down the page to where we need to be…. Watch closely, or you’ll miss it….
Shall we pearl?….
“Arouse the mind without resting it on anything.”
~~ Diamond Sutra ~~
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Today I feel like some classical music. I also want to hear the guitar, so, what better way than to hear over two hours of some of the finest classical guitar ever played, by the acknowledged master of the genre, Andres Segovia…. I hope you enjoy it; it will be hard not to do so, since its probably some of the best music ever created by humans… Abondanza!….
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November Dreams of Spring
Crass and cold, the beggar finds me swollen, so frail and fat
with painful stepping motions, running, like a Republicrat.
Building with straw and spittle, should artists come aground,
we all pay heavily, a billion for a bloody pound.
Too desperate, too ashamed to play such a part
We ask for belief, and sweet liberty, dressing up so smart.
It falls between the simple cracks, always in a hurry
To find a shrunken ego, ashen, swift, and full of worry.
Never there was a more penitent group, such a sterling way
To fast in luxury, making sure the guilty enter, but do not stay.
Forgotten gods can find their diffident suitors tonight
With dream-fitted convention, and a natural sense of delight.
For all the silken babies cried, to see the broken dreams of power
forgiven moments of certitude serve, filling up the maiden’s bower.
All the patient, loving veterans of ancient foreign time,
give up their first impressions, dying, dying for a rhyme.
~~ gigoid ~~
9/19/2012
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Naked Pearls
Warning: thinking caps required….
*********
“I certainly wasn’t happy.
Happiness has to do with reason,
and only reason earns it.
What I was given was the thing you can’t earn,
and can’t keep, and often don’t even recognize at the time;
I mean joy.”
~~ Ursula K. LeGuin ~~
*********
“If possible, try to find a way to come downstairs
that doesn’t involve going bump, bump, bump, on the back of your head. -“
~~ Pooh, in Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne ~~
*********
“How to gain, how to keep, how to recover happiness
is in fact for most men at all times
the secret motive of all they do,
and of all they are willing to endure.”
~~ Dean William R. Inge ~~
*********
“There is, nevertheless, a certain respect
and a general duty of humanity that ties us,
not only to beasts that have life and sense,
but even to trees and plants.”
~~ Michael de Montaigne, Essays, Book ii, Chap. xi, Of Cruelty ~~
*********
“Seek not to follow in the footsteps of men of old;
seek what they sought.”
~~ Matsuo Basho ~~
“Good taste is always an asset.”
~~ Rudy Bakalov ~~
*********
“Fear is the lock and laughter the key to your heart.”
~~ Steven Stills ~~
*********
“After all, to the well-organized mind, death is but the next great adventure.”
~~J.K. Rowling, The Man with Two Faces, ~~
~~ Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, 1997 ~~
~~ spoken by the character Albus Dumbledore ~~
*********
“Aw Mom, you act like I’m not even wearing a bungee cord!”
~~ Calvin ~~
*********
********************************
Despite some rather spirited competition from the cat, I got it done. I’m going to cut my losses at this point, since, by posting, I win. Of course, it’s only myself I beat, but, hey, gotta take the kudos where you find ’em, or, you might not get ’em at all. I will, as consistently threatened, be back to do this again tomorrow, I imagine…. Odds are running even right now, but, they’ll improve; bet on it. See ya…..
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Life moves pretty fast.
If you don’t stop and look around once in a while,
you just might miss it.”
~~ “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”, screenplay by John Hughes~~
Alaskan Taxi….
Hajime…. Burning with brilliant lines, he ached to begin. However, he is lost, though he’s making good time. So much for brilliance, eh? I suppose to assume that mantle, it might help to begin with something more than mediocrity at hand. Such is Life, neh? And, such is karma, for Murphy knows just when to apply the heat, to melt all our hopes, desires, and expectations. Ah, well, that’s the way the cookie meets its doom, when karma is in the house. So be it….
Whatever plans I had at the outset, having met the fate of all plans in the face of reality, are now defunct. That means I have to resort to plain talk. I’ve got an extensive Pearl for y’all today, though I don’t know exactly how it came together, as about a third of it was done while three sheets into the wind; our old friend John Daniel’s made a short visit last night, and, boy, was he in a mood. The result is a ranting section, composed of two text pearls, and a video pearl of the text…. I’m not sure if the point being made will fly smoothly into your comprehension, but, there is a point to it…. if I could just remember my drunken logic…. Ah, well, it’s a chance to hear what could be considered the very best song written during the twentieth century, all in all, so, I’ll take it as it plays….
There’s also some rather fine blues, a poem, and an old-school pearl that got away from me a bit. You’ll see. And, you’ll enjoy it, too, or you can have all your money back. What a bargain! On that rather commercial note, I’ll stop fussing around, and get on with the process, which can then lead to a program, thus fulfilling my own internal requirements for daily sanity…. Who knew it would be so delicate an operation? Not me. I ain’t delicate, nohow….Ah, hell, let’s do it; I can’t think of anything else to put here, so, follow the cursor down the page, to your next assignment….
I felt like the blues, so, why not have the best? No reason not to, so, here ’tis…. Go ahead, enjoy!…..
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Accentuated Lessons
Bold statements of calculated intent
Become common rule of the malcontent.
Avarice assumes such attractive wear
Beguiling deception, illusory and fair.
Grasping and pulling with ghostly hands
Legally proper in all the signatory lands.
Seeking and finding each vulnerable soul
Anguish as payment for exacting the toll.
Wraiths of commerce’s invisible dead guards
Still haunt the dreams left in sad empty yards.
While absentee nobles sit in stiffly elegant splendor
Served by sad-faced detainees in abject surrender.
Escape from reality is illusory at best
Often we falter and fail its daily test.
Only when focused on inner strength
Does peace stay with us for any length.
Peace lies within, always…..
~~ gigoid ~~
9/27/2012
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If you are distressed by anything external,
the pain is not due to the thing itself,
but to your own estimate of it;
and this you have the power to revoke at any moment.”
~~ Marcus Aurelius ~~
The Sound of Silence
Hello darkness, my old friend, I’ve come to talk with you again
Because a vision softly creeping, left its seeds while I was sleeping
And the vision that was planted in my brain, still remains
Within the sound of silence
In restless dreams I walked alone, narrow streets of cobblestone
Neath the halo of a streetlamp, I turned my collar to the cold and damp
When my eyes were stabbed by the flash of a neon light, split the night
And touched the sound of silence
And in the naked light I saw, ten thousand people, maybe more
People talking without speaking, people hearing without listening
People writing songs that voices never shared, and no one dared
To stir the sound of silence
Fool, said I, you do not know, silence, like a cancer, grows
Hear my words and I might teach you, take my arms then I might reach you
But my words, like silent raindrops fell, and echoed in the wells of silence
And the people bowed and prayed to the neon god they’d made
And the sign flashed its warning in the words that it was forming
And the sign said the words of the prophets are written on the subway walls
And tenement halls, and whispered in the sounds of silence
~~ Paul Simon ~~
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********************************
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Naked Pearls
Progress Notes….
*******
“Always store beer in a dark place.”
~~ Lazarus Long ~~
*******
“We have loved the stars too fondly to be fearful of the night.”
~~ Tombstone epitaph of two astronomers ~~
*******
“If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold,
it would be a merrier world.”
~~ J.R.R. Tolkien ~~
*******
“Man is what he believes.”
~~ Anton Chekhov ~~
*******
“Your task is not to seek for love,
but merely to seek and find
all the barriers within yourself
that you have built against it.”
~~ Rumi ~~
*******
“To make the individual uncomfortable, that is my task.”
~~ Friedrich Nietzsche ~~
*******
“Why don’t lawyers lie on the beach?
Cats would bury them.”
~~ Non-sequitor Bee ~~
*******
********************************
Done. Not sure just how that happened, but, I’m sure y’all are familiar with the old one about gift horses, right? Right, then. Since I can’t think of any further crap to throw at y’all, I guess I’ll go do something less productive for awhile. (Hmm… Just how long IS ‘awhile’?…. Oh, well, no matter…) Sorry for the little side trip there. Okay, let’s post this bad puppy, and get on with our day, shall we? See y’all tomorrow, come hell, or, high water….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. I am not sure, & don’t feel like spending the effort to find out for sure, but, I believe it was R.D. Laing who said, “Insanity is a sane reaction to an insane world.” The past few days, and, hell, weeks, have offered quite a lot of evidence in favor of the truth of that. My own involvement in the process of sanity/insanity maintenance is a core issue much of the time, though it is carried out behind the scenes, so to speak. I am hopeful the picture of me seen by the outside world is one which promotes confidence, but, also imagine that’s a groundless hope. Of course, what other kind is there?….
In the past two days, sanity took a back seat for much of the day. Somehow, I’ve managed to post; in looking back, that seems to have been slightly over-confident, as the rest of both days was spent in the morass of my own mind, trying to keep my balance, a process complicated by living with a small, fur-bearing extortionist, whom I love dearly, but have quite a time finding the inner serenity with which to handle her with any aplomb. It’s a constant day in school, learning ways to adjust to another creature’s needs and desires…. Who knew it could get so complicated? Ah, well, it’s only because I’m so damned self-critical; it’s too late to change that, and I wouldn’t want to, anyway, as it’s part of who I am….
I suppose I should make a choice here; keep wandering fruitlessly through my transparently muddled thoughts, or get on with the process of posting today’s effort. Given my state of mind, the latter is our most likely, and most amenable choice. To keep from getting completely out of hand with the chatty nonsense, I’ll do that now, and do it the quick, easy way. That looks like this….
Shall we pearl?….
“A man who does not think for himself does not think at all.”
~~ Oscar Wilde, “Oscariana” ~~
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Image stolen from Google Free Images
While searching for some music, I came across this concert, which happened to be the first time the old boys had been invited to the Glastonbury Rock Festival in England. Go figure, eh? At any rate, it’s hot, right from the start, so, here ’tis. Enjoy, ffolkes; the old boys still bring it….
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After the odyssey….
Portraits of iconic symbols, crashing, singing, forgotten;
evolving into mature innovation, as yet pale, and rotten.
Still water justly breeds, impenetrable primal verses resound;
unholy moments tarry, emotion swirls in passion unbound
Spiritual ovulation precedes each pregnant pause;
gravid, time moves on, following destiny’s cause.
Cast adrift on waves of confusion, to a final, damp landing;
salvation beckons sweetly, fed well on understanding.
Dreams directly fall, in night’s grey bower, unbidden;
lingering flavors in simple taste, lovingly, cleverly hidden.
Childish laughter sounds, joyful, bright, and clear;
no need ever to hide, no more monsters to fear.
Temper most foul arrives under unregistered mail;
forgotten taunts live on, lashed by an ancient flail.
Plain dealing delivers such lasting specks of honest hate;
savage in retrospect, never hasty, always running late.
Forever, cries an ambient lover of the pending night;
his pale, weak issue forms its own failing light.
Still, fortune favors such as those who apprehend;
Sweet love of Gaia, let it never end.
~~ gigoid ~~
3/10/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Framed in Idyll….
*********
“He who has the courage to laugh
is almost as much a master of the world
as he who is ready to die.”
~~ Giacomo Leopardi ~~
*********
“Though we travel the world over to find the beautiful,
we must carry it with us or we find it not.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson, “Essays” ~~
*********
“I see my life go drifting like a river
From change to change; I have been many things –
A green drop in the surge, a gleam of light
Upon a sword, a fir tree on a hill,
An old slave grinding at a heavy quern,
A king sitting upon a chair of gold –
And all these things were wonderful and great;
But now I have grown nothing, knowing all.
Ah! Druid, Druid, how great webs of sorrow
Lay hidden in that small slate-coloured thing!”
~~ William Butler Yeats, “Fergus and the Druid” ~~
*********
“Nature, whose sweet rains fall of just and unjust alike,
will have clefts in the rocks where I may hide,
and secret valleys in whose silence I may weep undetected.
She will hang the night with stars
so that I may walk abroad in the darkness without stumbling,
and send the wind over my footprints
so that none may track me to my hurt:
she will cleanse me in great waters,
and with bitter herbs make me whole.”
~~ Oscar Wilde, “De Profundis” ~~
*********
“Sometimes you win,
sometimes you lose,
sometimes you get rained out.”
~~ Satchel Paige ~~
*********
********************************
I’m happy I found our final pearl of the day. It reminded me of what’s truly important, which is, as we all know, the ability to be comfortable with ambiguity. I mean, hell, that’s about all we get from Reality, right? May as well learn to like it…. In any case, we’re done here, so, I guess I’ll call it a day. I will, in all fairness, warn y’all; I’ll be back again, to test your sense of complacency. Get used to it….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“If a man insisted always on being serious,
and never allowed himself a bit of fun and relaxation,
he would go mad or become unstable without knowing it.”
~~ Herodotus ~~
Spring morning ~ Ketchikan, Alaska….
Hajime…. According to all I’ve been told most of my life, there are limits to what we may expect from Life. I don’t remember ever quite believing it, since all I could observe around me failed to support such a thesis. (Yes, I was precocious….) So, I’ve always tended to go beyond what others might feel is prudent, which was fine with me, but, tended to make my young life a bit more, shall we say, ‘interesting’? But, then, nobody ever learned much from never being challenged, did they?
Y’all might, at this point, wonder just what the hell I’m getting at, but, that would show your own self-absorption. If you thought about it a moment, you also might remember you shouldn’t expect what you expect around here, and it wouldn’t surprise you to find out I’m not getting at anything. Well, nothing particularly meaningful, or, for that matter, relevant. I was just sort of wandering around in my head, and that’s what I found. I do that a lot, which, if you’ve been here any number of times, you’d already know, and have skipped down to the music.
For any Gentle Readers who remain at this point, it probably won’t cause any further feather-ruffling to announce we’re done here, and will be moving on, as soon as I figure out a reasonably intelligent way to get myself out of this cul-de-sac of reasoning in which I’ve inadvertently placed myself. I’m afraid I’m going to have to resort to an old, tried-and-true method, we used to call #4….. Actually, it’s pretty cool, not to mention efficient. How does it work. Easy. Just like this….
Shall we pearl?….
“A reverence for life does not require one to respect nature’s obvious mistakes.”
~~ Robert A. Heinlein ~~
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Norah Jones
Image from desktopimages.com via Google Images
A friend reminded me to include music, which I do using his own stated preference, with great pleasure. Especially for the opportunity to include the music of this daughter of an icon, sister of another, as well as an iconic talent herself. In today’s world of hype and illusion, her music stands out, as real. Here’s a live concert from a few years back, purported to have good sound quality…. Let’s go see if that holds true, shall we?…. Enjoy, ffolkes….
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Stray Cats
The veils that billow and fold
between dreams and reality
may sometimes part,
showing the visions of one to the other,
blending, bleeding as one,
only to bring us up short,
closely jammed against immovable fate.
Still, we keep our watch,
seeking to find the vision
that brings with it the mark of reality’s regard,
a humble mind, and a compassionate heart.
Events of broad impact draw us away again,
distracting with shiny glitter and tinny music,
leaving our feelings raw and bruised,
the victim of universal disregard.
Now, in the twilight of years, the music is fading,
and the glitter has all gone….
yet the memory of visions remains sharp and clear,
melancholy reminders of reality’s promises,
unkept…..
~~gigoid~~
4/12/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Justifiably Inane….
*******
“Words must be weighed, not counted.”
~~ Polish Proverb ~~
*******
“The truth is always the strongest argument.”
~ Sophocles — Phaedra, Frag. 737 ~~
*******
“Hypotheses are not to be multiplied without necessity.”
~~ Occam’s Razor ~~
*******
“The shortest distance between two people is laughter.”
~~Victor Borge ~~
*******
“My imagination makes me human and makes me a fool;
it gives me all the world and exiles me from it.”
~~ Ursula K. Le Guin ~~
*******
“If you are out to describe the truth,
leave elegance to the tailor.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
*******
“Appearance must not foil, nor shifted sphere confuse thy brain.
Ample are time and space–ample the fields of nature.”
~~ Walt Whitman, CONTINUITIES ~~
*******
********************************
It may be premature of me to make any judgments, so, I won’t. What I will do is continue the efficiency so bravely provided in the intro by using the old #4. In the closing section, that looks like this…. See y’all tomorrow, ffolkes. Just try to stop me…. Hah!….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“Do not go where the path may lead,
go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
Sidewalk Show….
Hajime…. Although we are always good to go when it comes to doubtful challenges to our purpose, there is no profit for anyone in being coy. Also, let it never be said we have been anything but obscure, lest, for good reason, we end up in court. Nobody likes going to court. Therefore, in the interests of fair play, and good whiskey, I am hereby declaring this Pearl open, with the concomitant, and irregular, degree of nonsense, as well as a complete, full helping of blather. Not bad for 0600, eh?
Now I’ve got that out of my system, I’ll tell you a bit about this Pearl. It’s done. There isn’t much of it, and what there is, is a bit strange, even for us/me. There’s no point in fretting over it; Reality is what it is. I’ve included one of my older poems, just because I can, and it seemed to fit the mood. There’s an old-school pearl, with a decent, if obscure message to decipher, for those inclined to make a foray into my less than normal cogitative processes. Just don’t take any of it too seriously, and all will be well.
I’m also going to be nice, since the day began otherwise, as a sort of attempt at balancing the scales. By that, I mean we are leaving now, to make our way down the page, manually or on auto-scroll, your choice. Or, you can do it the simple way, just reading and using the down arrow on your keyboard. It makes no never mind to me; remember, I’ll never know which one you choose, so, your privacy is intact. More than you can say in most cases today, right? Right…. Let’s do this, before I lose my chutzpah….
Shall we pearl?….
“We must respect the other fellow’s religion,
but only in the sense and to the extent
that we respect his theory that his wife is beautiful and his children smart.”
~~ H. L. Mencken ~~
********************************
A Dubiously Soft Morning
Idiosyncratic images, clamoring for regard,
fill up the white, white screen on which I view
my life, never seeing, nor invited to sup
ambrosial remnants of anything new.
Still, yet almost in motion, allegory sails away
bobbing gently, quick and easy to find,
signs of one happy child, seriously at play,
blissfully immersed, focused joy in mind.
Formidable cries of outraged simple justice
echo plaintive relevance, in half the time.
Maladaptive infants, destined for hospice
salvage an only child, daring to sing in rhyme.
Creativity equals unquestioning farce,
often reaching for absurdity, brazenly afire.
Instead, a blow is felt no joy will ever soften,
accepting the price, added to the cost of desire.
~~ gigoid ~~
7/26/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
Notes on Process and Program….
*******
“An idea that is not dangerous is unworthy of being called an idea at all.”
~~ Oscar Wilde ~~
*******
“Follow the path of the unsafe, independent thinker.
Expose your ideas to the danger of controversy.
Speak your mind
and fear less the label of “crackpot”
than the stigma of conformity.”
~ Thomas J. Watson, Sr. ~~
*******
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”
~~ E. E. Cummings ~~
*******
“A process which led from amoeba to man
appeared to the philosophers to be obviously progress
– though whether the amoeba would agree with this opinion is not known.”
~~ Bertrand Russell ~~
*******
“The fear of death is the most unjustified of all fears,
for there’s no risk of accident for someone who’s dead.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
*******
“Beauty is truth, truth beauty, –that is all
Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.”
~~ John Keats — Ode on a Grecian Urn ~~
*******
“Let us endeavour to live that when we come to die
even the undertaker will be sorry.”
~~ Mark Twain, Pudd’nhead Wilson’s Calendar (1894) ~~
*******
********************************
Once again, chutzpah or no, we’ve made it to the end of another Pearl. Yippee…. Before we are undone by such enthusiasm, allow me to get the hell out of here. I will, in spite of all advice to the contrary, do this again tomorrow. Take warning, take heed, take a chill pill, & I’ll see you next time…. Hasta la bye-bye, amigos….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Hajime…. As our opening quote from Lazarus signals, today’s Pearl might get a bit rambunctious. I seem to have entered a time bubble, or, perhaps, slipped through a worm-hole into an alternate universe. Whatever it may be, for four days, almost, I’ve been getting closer to a sort of balance, between all the hard places, and the soft. Not to imply it’s nearly so simplistic, but, let it suffice for now as a fairly close approach to my personal reality, and get on with the fun….
Yes, fun. I decided we/I don’t do fun enough; in fact, I remembered one can’t overdo fun, at all. So, today’s post has some whimsy, some grit, some entertainment, and a bunch of verbiage otherwise known as filler. What can I say? It’s a gift. Or, well, a talent, anyway. Still, it might be worse, you know…. I might have decided to rant again. Not only is there no new, fresh rant over which to fret, the one I chose to include, from the archives, is an abbreviated version, mostly old-school, with only a smidgen of necessary neuronic involvement. Afterward, of course, there’s a poem to ease y’all into the old-school section for our finale today…. Don’t forget, the price is right, right?….
What with all the tasks and events presented to me by Reality yesterday/today, I’m not sure how, but, what follows is a complete Pearl of Virtual Wisdom, with four complete sections. That, and the other tasks are done, and I’m glad…. I think I’ll go eat some worms…. Or, not. Perhaps, instead, we’ll do this….
Shall we pearl?….
“What happens to the wide-eyed observer
when the window between reality and unreality breaks
and the glass begins to fly?”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
********************************
In the interests of efficiency and elegance, today’s musical selection finds us with a collection of classical pieces, for study or relaxation. Since both are handy when reading here at ECR, you get them both, for we are nothing if not accommodating, eh?…. Enjoy, ffolkes; it’s all good stuff, and makes the reading go nice and smooth….
********************************
********************************
********************************
From 7/20/2014:
I cannot tell a lie…. Well, that isn’t true. I can, but, I have a hard time justifying it to myself, so, I keep it to a minimum; mostly, I succeed… It’s not usual, I know, for people to even think about it, more’s the pity, but, that’s just the way I am…. So, since I can’t, I’ll tell you right now, I don’t have the wherewithal to rant any more this morning…. The intro took most of my angst away; the emotional power just isn’t there now, so, anything I did write would be a bit frail; I like my rants to be robust, if nothing else….
So, we’re going to do this…. Below is a link, to yet another example of A) how egregiously the governments of the world, ours, the Brits, and all of them, are bumbling around, spying on you, me, and each other, while the public sits and watches as they try to justify their insane paranoia by telling the public it’s all for their own good…. It’s bullshit, of course, but, that’s their story, and they are sticking to it….and B) how the lies aren’t even being addressed by those who are telling them, but, rather, are being labeled as legal, by the passing of legislation making it so….
Since I’m NOT going to rant about it, I’ll follow the link with a seven-star pearl that takes aim at those who are involved in the whole ugly mess at the top of the heap, which, in my mind, is beginning to resemble one of those snake pits we hear so much about…. Hiss, hiss, wriggle…..
Enjoy the pearls, ffolkes, and try not to let the article depress you any more than necessary…. If you must, you can be glad this is the BRITISH government that is being exposed in this article…. at least it’s not our own….. THIS time, anyway…. Of course, ours is busy with its own illegal spying programs, none of which have been shut down, or even restrained, in spite of all the hullabaloo over it…. Ah well, see you in the poetry section, ffolkes….
“This message has been personally tested and certified by Big Brother Bill, Senator Exon, and the Religious Right to be PC, containing only the best of family values, and Safe For The Children ™. Disclaimer: The caffeine made me do it.” — Smart Bee
“The trouble with most people is that they think with their hopes and fears rather than with their minds.” — Will Durant
“Americans used to roar for Liberty, now they bleat for Security.” — Dr. Norman Vincent Peale
“Money will buy a pretty good dog, but it won’t buy the wag of his tail.” — Josh Billings (pseudonym of Henry Wheeler Shaw (1818-1885))
” — I’d love to, but…the President said he might drop in.” — 4 of 101 Easy Ways To Say NO
“It does take a perverse form of optimism to have any faith in the news media when almost every time they cover something you _know_ about, they get it wrong. Maybe they’re wrong that often covering subjects in which I’m not an expert? Naw, it just couldn’t be.” — Grant Edwards
“It ain’t me; it ain’t me; I ain’t no senator’s son!” — (Creedence Clearwater Revival) The Fortunate Son
Yep…. As I’ve noted previously, it’s all in the wrist….
********************************
Unbidden, treasure unfolded…
Taken by surprise, Psyche sits numb
Amidst tall phrases worn of elder time
Seeking a not-new place from which to come
No shiny new horizon, nor altered paradigm.
Sudden regrets shape dreams as times maintain
Shades of memories bring poignant clear sight
Visions of duty, each chosen wild campaign
Shouts echoing clamors to enfold the night.
Arisen from less than eternal havens of sleep
Facing moments created in torment and pain
Destiny weighs upon those chosen to keep
As the sparrow flies now to sever the twain.
Faded pathways lead away, hazy and long
Burned out verges, so long unknown
Images of yesterday, clear and strong
Bleed into today, though t’is but my own……
~~ gigoid ~~
9/6/2012
********************************
Naked Pearls
Ha, ha, ha….
*******
“Nothing unreal exists.”
~~ Kiri-Kin-Tha’s Law of Metaphysics ~~
*******
“Eternity is a mere moment, just long enough for a joke.”
~~ Hermann Hesse ~~
*******
“When the situation is desperate,
it is too late to be serious.
Be playful.”
~~ Edward Abbey ~~
*******
“A little nonsense now and then,
is cherished by the wisest men.”
~~ Willy Wonka, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory ~~
*******
“As for myself,
I always willingly acknowledge my own self
as the principal cause of every good and of every evil
which may befall me;
therefore I have always found myself
capable of being my own pupil,
and ready to love my teacher.”
~~ Giacomo Casanova ~~
*******
A monk said to Joshu,
“Your stone bridge is widely renowned,
but coming here I find only a heap of rocks.”
Joshu said,
“You see only the stones and not the bridge.”
The monk said,
“What is the bridge?”
Joshu said,
“What do you think we are walking on?”
~~ Zen Bee ~~
*******
“To see the world in a grain of sand,
And a heaven in a wild flower,
Hold infinity in the palm of your hand,
And eternity in an hour.”
~~ William Blake, “Auguries of Innocence” ~~
*******
********************************
Having completed my chosen duty, with some degree of efficiency, I shall take my leave without any more pathetic attempts at humor. In fact, I’ll be completely serious, and reiterate my intention to return tomorrow, to torment, er, challenge y’all again. See ya, ffolkes; be strange, it’s cool out there….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
Dharma: “What is the greatest mystery of all?”
Yudishthira: “That each day, death walks the earth,
and we continue to live as though we were immortal.”
~~ The Bhagvad Gita ~~
You said you had a deadline….
Hajime…. In my recent explorations of Reality, there seems to have arisen within me a large fog of apathy, regarding the state of the world….. My angst seems to have resolved itself into a big package of “I don’t give a shit”. This seems to have destroyed my outrage, and just in time, too. It was killin’ me….
But, I digress. Today, I have very little accomplished in the way of putting together a Pearl. There is a short, five-star necklace below, with a message I am not really sure of; it’s there, but, it’s a bit murky. Oh, well, such is Life in the big city, ffolkes; we’ll all have to deal with it, one way or another. I can’t say I’m particularly enthusiastic for our chances of a Pulitzer, or even making the WP front page (my use of expletives as ammunition keeps that off the table…. something about the word ‘fuck’ they don’t like….), but, at least there will be a post. So be it.
That’s all I’ve got. I’m trying to finish a task for a friend, so, tomorrow may again be a throw-together-if-not-throw-away version; we’ll see how efficiently I can multitask. I used to be pretty good at it, so, we’ll see. In the meantime, I’ll also take this moment to apologize to my usual blog visits; I have been unable to find any angst with which to comment, and have been unusually silent. It’s no doubt the same falling angst levels previously mentioned, so, I’m not sure when I’ll be back in touch on that level. I haven’t forgotten anyone; the funk in which I’ve been mentally mired for weeks is starting to clear, and all will eventually be as well as it may be….
That’s my story, and, I’m sticking to it. For now, let’s get this slow on the toad…..
Shall we pearl?….
“Time…do you really believe the past arranges itself
for our convenience into those paltry little squares they print on calendars?”
~~ Subtle Bee ~~
********************************
Naked Pearls
Affordable wisdom….
*******
“Dignity does not consist in possessing honors, but in deserving them.”
~~ Aristotle (384-322BC) ~~
*******
“What you see is from outside yourself,
and may come, or not, but is beyond your control.
But your fear is yours, and yours alone,
like your voice, or your fingers, or your memory,
and therefore yours to control.
If you feel powerless over your fear,
you have not yet admitted that it is yours,
to do with as you will.”
~~ Marion Zimmer Bradley, “Stormqueen” ~~
*******
“Sure, understanding today’s complex world of the future is a little
like having bees live in your head.
But there they are . . .”
~~ Firesign Theater, “I think we’re all Bozos on this Bus!” ~~
*******
“OMNIVERSAL AWARENESS?? Oh, YEH!!
First you need 4 GALLONS of JELL-O and a BIG WRENCH!!…
I think you drop th’WRENCH in the JELL-O
as if it was a FLAVOR, or an INGREDIENT…
…or…I…um…
HERE’S the WASHING MACHINES?”
~~ Zippy the Pinhead ~~
*******
“What the meaning of human life may be I don’t know;
I incline to suspect that it has none.”
~~ H. L. Mencken ~~
*******
********************************
Well, there you go. That’s what we’ve got, ffolkes. I know, pretty pathetic, right? Oh, well. The good part is, I can try again, maybe even tomorrow. One way or another, I’ll be back, to make some more noise…..
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“We turn not older with years, but newer every day.”
~~ Emily Dickinson ~~
Spare any fish, mister?….
Hajime…. As predicted yesterday, and many times previously, I’m back. That isn’t to say I am claiming any kudos, or expect any acknowledgment. It’s merely taking note of what exists, for now. In the final analysis, after all, we don’t have anything else but what exists now; yesterday is a memory, tomorrow is but a dream, right? Right. So, we take it as it comes, do the best we can, and move on down the road to the next moment, all with as much aplomb as we find comfortable…. Simple creatures, we are, in truth. We just don’t remember it often….
I don’t have a lot today; yesterday turned out pretty busy, in a good way. I spent the afternoon reconnecting with an old friend; we hadn’t seen each other for about 12 or more years, so, we had some ground to cover; it was good, especially when one considers all the possibilities that are engendered when two old farts start trading memories. We had a great time, and are both looking forward to staying in touch. Since all this was happening when my physical issues seem to be resolving positively, it turned into a fine day….
In the interests of not pushing our luck, I’m going with what I’ve got. It’s not too shabby; the new poem finished leaking onto the screen, and there’s a pretty fine old-school pearl to ponder. The poem’s a bit strange, but, then, so am I. Go figure, eh? Let’s get on with it, before I lose my nerve…. I say that, of course, in the hope I do have some nerve left…. Ha! Onward into the day, ffolkes. Hang on…..
Shall we pearl?….
“Truth, like surgery, may hurt. But it cures.”
~~ Han Suyin ~~
********************************
Meander….
Inimitable, grieving, garnering mere bargains, to taste;
naked apes, priapic by nature and choice,
filled up the only valid chalice, laid it to waste,
nobody asked, nor ever raised a single voice.
Formidable, dreams becoming so real;
clearly extraordinary, in a tawdry sense.
Deals to make, illusions to steal,
busy, busy, building fence after fence.
True nature’s existence, so to speak,
rests interiorly, as well as in your face.
Duality’s persistent insistence ain’t weak;
ignorance of reality leaves not a single trace.
Herds of commonality congregate before portals
shaking each other by the collar as they dance.
Chasing their illusionary dreams, as if they weren’t mortals,
born believing they ever had a chance.
Irony lives deep in the human soul, part, parcel, post;
holding four aces, betting a pair of jacks, or queens.
Expedience beckons toward mendacity, at most,
fox mocking grapes, while it dances and preens.
The wheel turns, inevitable, ponderously mundane,
grinding grain, chaff, and dust.
Bolstering connections aids those who may abstain
from the paltry tale of the bold, and just.
~~ gigoid ~~
********************************
Naked Pearls
I yam what I yam….
*******
“Our quarrel with the world is an echo
of the endless quarrel proceeding within us.”
~~ Eric Hoffer ~~
*******
“It’s not denial.
I’m just very selective about what I accept as reality.”
~~ Calvin (“Calvin and Hobbes”) ~~
*******
“Don’t underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along,
listening to all the things you can’t hear, and not bothering.”
~~ Pooh’s Little Instruction Book, inspired by A. A. Milne ~~
*******
1. Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride.
2. Allow the experience of fresh air
and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
3. When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
4. When it’s in your best interest, always practice obedience.
5. Let others know when they’ve invaded your territory.
6. Take naps and always stretch before rising.
7. Run, romp, and play daily.
8. Eat with gusto and enthusiasm.
9. Be loyal.
10. Never pretend to be something you’re not.
11. If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
12. When someone is having a bad day,
be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
13. Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
14. Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
15. Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
16. On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
17. When you are happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
18. No matter how often you are criticized,
don’t buy into the guilt thing and pout.
Run right back and make friends.
~~ Things We Can Learn from a Dog ~~
*******
“Ah, fill the Cup: – what boots it to repeat
How Time is slipping underneath our Feet:
Unborn To-morrow, and dead Yesterday,
Why fret about them if To-day be sweet!”
~~ Omar Khayyam (fl. 1100) ~~
*******
“I exist as I am, that is enough.”
~~ Walt Whitman ~~
*******
“The supreme irony of life is hardly anyone ever gets out of it alive.”
~~ Robert Heinlein ~~
*******
********************************
That will have to do. Duty, and the events of the upcoming day are calling me. If you’ll pardon me, I shall now go forth, and ignore as much of that call as I can, as is our habit as humans. Y’all have a good one, ffolkes. I’ll see if I can’t put another one together for tomorrow…. See ya….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
“The mountain remains unmoved at seeming defeat by the mist.”
~~ Rabindranath Tagore ~~
Laocoön and His Sons
Image from Wikipedia via Google Images
Hajime…. Putting this Pearl together has taken me about two weeks, mostly waiting for parts of me to heal sufficiently to type. During much of this period, it seems my life was ‘farmed out’ by Murphy, to Eris, that ancient nemesis of the Greeks. Who is Eris? Ah, you know her, even if you don’t…. Allow me to elucidate….
“:Eris: /e’ris/ n. The Greek goddess of Chaos, Discord, Confusion, and Things You Know Not Of; her name was latinized to Discordia and she was worshiped by that name in Rome. Not a very friendly deity in the Classical original, she was reinvented as a more benign personification of creative anarchy starting in 1959 by the adherents of {Discordianism} and has since been a semi-serious subject of veneration in several `fringe’ cultures, including hackerdom. See {Discordianism}, {Church of the SubGenius}. — from The on-line Hacker Jargon File V423
As may be surmised, it’s been different around here. Enough so it’s given me some new epiphanies to assimilate into my personal files, some of which are quite penetrating in their effects. Of course, they’re only of value if I take them in, so, we’ll see how that goes, eh? In the meantime, I have for you today a complete five part Pearl, with old-school galore, some great music/entertainment, a relevant exploration of modern times, and, a pretty decent poem…. I’m happy with it, so, y’all, in spite of any possible trepidation, will be happy with it, too, should you make it all the way to the rather distant end. To save us all a bit ot time, we’ll get right to that, okay? Okay….
Shall we pearl?….
“A wise man,
recognizing that the world is but an illusion,
does not act as if it is real,
so he escapes the suffering.”
~~ Buddha ~~
********************************
Pearl
We lost Pearl in 1970. Though with us for only a short while, her spirit shone bright. A friend’s blog acknowledged her passing, which showed some synchronicity, as I had already decided she was just right for this Pearl. Here is a live performance, one of only a few we have to see on You Tube. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do….
********************************
********************************
********************************
As this Pearl evolved, it grew. Go figure. In the process, I decided to make it epic enough to be able to stop ranting altogether. It’s a manifesto, so to speak, of all I think is real, and true for today’s world. I don’t need to keep beating a horse that’s not coming back alive, so, this may be the very last one. It’s pretty complete, I think. You tell me….
“As scarce as truth is, the supply has always been in excess of the demand.”
~~ Josh Billings ~~
I suppose it is fortunate, for me, writing requires enough focus of attention to distract me from a lot of perceptive stimuli from external, or even internal sources. In short, I can concentrate sufficiently I don’t mind the 96º heat, as long as I’m perched within five feet of my only fan. I also can keep from thinking about pain, in my shoulders, hips, and back, or my hunger, from dieting, or any of the other silly little things we use to keep from actually thinking about stuff we don’t want to face, or deal with, or are painfully uncomfortable. That makes this act one of survival, as well as one requiring some rather merciless honesty, self- and, otherwise; without it, I don’t believe it will be worth it.
I am exceedingly weary of living in a culture/society which is based on deception, exemplifying what I believe to be the worst part of human nature, i.e. the ability to put our humanity aside to pursue our personal gain or agenda. To a small extent, we do it naturally, as a survival tool. However, in a larger sense, most of us don’t always base life on our own agenda; we feel connected to, and responsible to the rest of humanity. But, those who do choose self over species, as their primary focus of living, throughout history, have been allowed to order our society, based on false information and deception.
At this point, I feel I should explain my assertions, which are, in essence, three. My observations and study have led me to realize these three concepts, held to be true by the great majority of humanity, are all false in their basic assumptions of reality. This allows a distance between what is real, and what is seen to be real. This basic disconnection from true perception, in my mind, is what has caused most of the trouble and misery our species’ history has experienced for more than ten thousand years. The three concepts to which I refer are religion, money, and government.
Intermezzo:
At this point in this exploration, it becomes clear I have bitten off quite a bit more than can be adequately addressed in a single attempt, no matter how clear, or solid the connection between the three relevant elements. In truth, nobody will much care, anyway, but, that is irrelevant, as well. What remains relevant, to me, in essence, is to relate just how I think these three ideas/concepts/delusions have kept humanity from achieving our potential, and, in the process, the potential of our entire world. Together, given the nature of the human beast, the potential godhead, these three ideas have provided the means for our complete undoing, as a species, and, as a viable form of life.
I guess that’s a bit depressing, isn’t it? Okay, I’ll stop for now. I was going to stop ranting altogether, but, perhaps such an assertion would be premature. For now, let us go on, to this…..
During the research period while composing this, the following extensive collection of old-school pearls was amassed. Let this suffice for any further indictment of the three villains of human history. Besides, this just shows, I’m not the only one who has had second thoughts about all the bullshit we’ve been fed from the cradle. I’ve put them into three categories, for simple clarity…. Enjoy, ffolkes.
And, please. Think about it all, will you? Thanks….
*****
“In the beginning Man created God; and in the image of Man created he him.”
~~ Ian Anderson ~~
~~ Jethro Tull, Aqualung ~~
“The mistake began when God was created in a male image. Of course, women would see Him that way, but men should have been gentlemen enough, remembering their mothers, to make God a woman! But the God of Gods–the Boss–has always been a man. That makes life so perverted, and death so unnatural. We should have imagined life as created in the birth-pain of God the Mother. Then we would understand why we, Her children, have inherited pain, for we would know that our life’s rhythm beats from Her great heart, torn with the agony of love and birth. And we would feel that death meant reunion with Her, a passing back into Her substance, blood of Her blood again, peace of Her peace! Now wouldn’t that be more logical and satisfying than having God a male whose chest thunders with egotism and is too hard for tired heads and thoroughly comfortless?” — Eugene O’Neill, “Strange Interlude” [1928], Act II
“So far as I can remember, there is not one word in the Gospels in praise of intelligence.” — Bertrand Russell
“Any system of religion which has anything in it which offends the mind of a child cannot be a true system.” — Thomas Paine
“Some foolish men declare that a Creator made the world. The doctrine that the world was created is ill-advised, and should be rejected. If God created the world, where was He before creation? How could God have made the world without any raw material? If you say He made this first, and then the world, you are faced with an endless regression … Know that the world is uncreated, as time itself is, without beginning and end.” — The Mahapurana, Jinasena
“God is an invention of Man.
So the nature of God is only a shallow mystery.
The deep mystery is the nature of Man.”
~~ Nanrei Kobori, — late Abbot of the Temple of the Shining Dragon, Kyoto, Japan ~~
*****
“All paid jobs absorb and degrade the mind.”
~~ Aristotle ~~
“The value of money has an objective regulator only when it is linked to a real commodity, like gold, itself requiring the cost of human labor to be produced. By comparison, the value of inconvertible paper money has no objective regulator, its marginal cost of production being nearly zero.” — Lewis E. Lehrman (See? Nothing real… Only what we agree to hold so….)
“As far as I’m concerned, if something is so complicated that you can’t explain it in 10 seconds, then it’s probably not worth knowing anyway.” — Calvin
“I refuse to believe that trading recipes is silly. Tuna-fish casserole is at least as real as corporate stock.” — Barbara Grizzuti Harrison
“What do they call a comedian who doesn’t get any laughs? A philosopher.” — Phil Proctor
*****
“Power, like a desolating pestilence,
Pollutes whate’er it touches…”
~~ Percy Bysshe Shelley ~~
“It’s said that ‘power corrupts’, but actually it’s more true that power attracts the corruptible. The sane are usually attracted by other things than power. When they do act, they think of it as service, which has limits. The tyrant, though, seeks mastery, for which he is insatiable, implacable.” — David Brin, The Postman
“Every nation ridicules other nations, and all are right.” — Arthur Schopenhauer
“It is proof of a base and low mind for one to wish to think with the masses or majority, merely because the majority is the majority. Truth does not change because it is, or is not, believed by a majority of the people.” — Giordano Bruno (1548- burned at the stake, 1600)
“As formerly we suffered from crimes, so now we suffer from laws.” — Tacitus
“He who joyfully marches to music rank and file, has already earned my contempt. He has been given a large brain by mistake, since for him the spinal cord would surely suffice. This disgrace to civilization should be done away with at once. Heroism at command, how violently I hate all this, how despicable and
ignoble war is; I would rather be torn to shreds than be a part of so base an action. It is my conviction that killing under the cloak of war is nothing but an act of murder.” — Albert Einstein
“In the part of this universe that we know there is great injustice, and often the good suffer, and often the wicked prosper, and one hardly knows which of those is the more annoying.” — Bertrand Russell
********************************
I am working on a poem, which seems to be leaking out in a chaotic fashion; it looks good, though, so we’ll let it play out as it pleases. Here’s one that fits, today, and often. Especially when it is followed by an old-school pearl that carries its title…. Keep reading….
Notes of process and program…
Poems, alas, don’t chase through my head,
bumping and pushing each other like brothers at dinner.
They’re more ripped out of my innards, instead.
Time and circumstance reveal no ultimate winner.
Simmering and bubbling near my unconscious mind
these maddening rhymes blind me sans glimmer.
Building until bursting as if to be dined and wined,
the remaining denizens appear much slimmer.
Fiery visions retain such glorious fatal dimension,
in retrospect, yet fail to leave a permanent scar,
until blessed, or cursed, with focused attention,
singing, crying, bleeding, fast as a movie star.
Pretty soon can’t be soon enough, she said
to a chameleon colored thief bathed in moonlight.
Fancy candles in stripes of blue, gold, and red
foster honest dreams in shades of white.
Passage to daylight is problematic, at best:
beastly ghosts of insomniacs cast no shadow.
Even judges with robes can pass the wrong test
while the rest of us go with what we know.
~~ gigoid ~~
1/3/2013
********************************
Naked Pearls
“Notes Of Process And Program…”
*********
“It seems like once people grow up, they have no idea what’s cool.”
~~ Calvin & Hobbes ~~
*********
“We must beware of whatever insights we have into ourselves.
Our self-knowledge annoys and paralyzes our daimon
– this is where we should look for the reason Socrates wrote nothing.”
~~ E.M. Cioran ~~
*********
“”Human beings are perhaps never more frightening
than when they are convinced beyond doubt that they are right.”
~~ Laurens Van der Post, The Lost World of the Kalahari (1958) ~~
*********
“Be prepared to go mad with fixed rule and method.”
~~ Horace (65-8 B.C.) ~~
*********
“Honor isn’t about making the right choices.
It’s about dealing with the consequences.”
~~ Midori Koto~~
*********
“Reality is in the eye of the beholder.”
~~ The Keeper, from Stargate ~~
*********
“When I was a lark, I sang;
when I was a worm, I devoured.”
~~ Theodore Roethke ~~
*********
“I’m pretty tired. Think I’ll go home now.”
~~ Forrest Gump ~~
*********
********************************
Well, ffolkes. There you have it. Not only do you have it, but, you’ve got ALL of it. I don’t believe I can do this any better, but, what the hell? I’ll be back again to try. Could take a bit of time, but, it seems the wait might be worth the effort. See y’all tomorrow, as long as the sun comes up….. Pretty good odds, I’d say….
Y’all take care out there,
and May the Metaphorse be with you;
Blessed Be, dearest Carole, Mark,Theresa, & Richy
and everyone else, too…
When I works, I works hard.
When I sits, I sits loose.
When I thinks, I falls asleep.
Which is Why….
Sometimes I sits and thinks,
and sometimes,
I just sits.
gigoid 